Bloom
by mnemophobia321
Summary: Ezio charmed several women in his lifetime, but how do they cope once the nobleman decides to leave? A short story following the thoughts of a woman previously acquainted with Ezio, based just before AC2.


**A/N: I don't own Assassin's Creed but I do make a claim to the woman who this short story follows. Enjoy!**

There they stood, completely oblivious of her existence. The two elder boys of the Auditore children. The eldest was not the one that she was concerning herself with but it appeared that she was not the only woman in Firenze who took an interest in his younger brother. Strikingly handsome with shoulder length auburn hair tied in a low ponytail with a ribbon of red silk. His eyes, oh, they were the most beautiful eyes that she had set her own upon. Simply thinking of those hazel eyes sent her into a trance-like state, much like the day he had first taken notice of her. Currently, she had found herself peering shyly around a corner, gazing at him. She often sighed in admiration as she occasionally heard his voice musically pass through the breeze and carry towards her while her fingertips pressed into the wall. Her friends had attempted to tell her that loving him in such a way would make it impossible for her to be with him but she did not listen. She had wanted him since their night together.

The cool breeze of Autumn brushed over her skin as she walked through the marketplace, the bright colours of fabrics and shimmering pieces of jewellery diverted her attention several times, slowing her pace at an increasing rate until she found something that appealed to her where she would then stop and admire the object. Even she admitted that menial belongings gave her great pleasure but that did not mean that it was wrong. The item that she had preyed on were a pair of pearl earrings that gave an iridescent glimmer as she turned them in her slender fingers. She held them to her ears, turning her head as she asked for the merchant's approval and she laughed falsely as he praised her. Men were so easy to please, if she fluttered her eyelashes and revealed more then they were reduced to no more than blubbering mounds of flesh, but he was different.

She had felt his soft fingertips against her cheek at first and he then graced her skin with more of his touch as he tucked away a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. His actions had slightly startled her but she was soon moving into the fingers of the stranger who was clearly skilled with women but that did not matter to her because he would be hers and hers alone. Gently, he whispered in her ear that the pearls were not as beautiful as she, comparing her grace and poise to that of a budded flower. She had reluctantly broken away from his touch to question his words but he simply grinned, causing her knees to go weak, and told her to think on it before inclining his head and stepping away from her.

Her thoughts were filled with the mysterious man from the marketplace for the next few days and the many dresses of reds, greens and purples that she had worn began to feel heavy on her body but she did not see him. He did not present himself to her at all and she feared that he had already moved on. She had not even had the chance to ask his name but his face was something she could not forget. She wondered if he thought of her as she did him and if he felt the same as she. She stalked the halls of her large home in an agitated manner while her maids tended to her unusual behaviour but she waved them off, requesting to be left to her own devices.

Weeks had passed and still no indication of the man meeting with her. She found herself spending more and more of her father's money on splendorous clothing and other material objects, surrounding herself in her own wants and needs to fill the void of the absence of her enigmatic man. She was not used to chasing something that she wanted, usually her father would simply snap his fingers and everything that she could have possibly asked for would appear before her, but the man did not come. He had been taunting her from afar, his voice occasionally chiming in as she walked through Firenze but he would be no where to be seen. Her maids feared for her sanity as she spent her days and nights locked away in her gloriously decorated room but ate very little and so they too searched the city for their mistress's lover.

It was only until one evening that seemed so far away that she finally saw him again, and it was that evening that bound her to him for as long as she lived. Though she did not remember how he had entered her room, it did not matter as they slipped out of their clothing and he planted kisses along every part of her exposed skin. She felt whole as she clung onto him, kissing his lips as he held her in his strong arms but the moment was almost over as when she awoke, he was no where to be found. He had not completely left her without word as there was a small note written in elegant calligraphy on her dresser that she tentatively read.

'No longer are you a flower bud for I have seen you in full bloom and it is truly a beautiful sight.

Ezio'

She breathed his name for the first time and she felt her chest swell up in a way that she had never experienced before. Next to the note were the pearl earrings that she had previously taken interest in and she sighed in a loving manner. Clutching the note to her bosom, she stared at in the mirror, admiring herself with newfound adoration and esteem. She ran her fingers through her loose blonde hair before tying it in a bun to reveal her slender neck that still burned with Ezio's kisses. She powdered her face lightly, emphasising her deep blue eyes that were framed with thick lashes and she touched her lips before adding a bright red hue to them. She smiled to herself, the most alluring and graceful woman that she had ever set her sapphire eyes on, but if she was so beautiful then how could he have left her?

Her heart sank. She watched him longingly but her expression soon turned to envy as she took notice of the plain woman that he was using his devious charm on. The Florentine beauty, as she was so popularly called, though this was not evident. Her hair was not as glorious as it had been described and nor were her features particularly flattering, what did Ezio see in her apart from an easy target? What made her so much more special than she? Her eyes narrowed at the Vespucci but she knew that Ezio would not want anything more to do with her, he had moved on and it was time that she also did. But she could not do such a thing. To forget about Ezio would be to entirely dismiss love and she was not prepared to do so, another man would come and spoil her with riches, gifts and endless compliments instead but as she turned on her heel to walk away, her grasp on the note tightened and her other hand reached to feel the pearl that danced from her ear.

Perhaps he would come back to be with her, but that would be in another life. Another life where he would take the time and care to ask for her name.


End file.
